Best Glue/ Epoxy for Repairing Enfield wood

[enfieldshooter]

With thirty years experience as a stock maker and repairer in NZ I have only ever used 1 product. It is the West System 5:1 Epoxy. It is a gel for fibre glass and you mix a powder filler and pigment with it to match whatever you are gluing. They glue ocean going racing yachts together with it and I have never had it fail on me yet. To clean up the wood first use electrical contact cleaner as it leaves no residue behind. If some one has used PVA glue before you get there you will have a problem with any glue. I am usually the second guy to try and fix it and removing the previous attempt is the hardest part.

Information

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[Seaspriter]

West System 5:1 Epoxy

I can attest to the West Epoxy System. It is designed to get deep into the wood pores and hold under intense pressure and stress.

[AD-4NA]

I am a big fan of West System epoxies for cycling and marine use, but the heat deformation temperature (NOT failure point) is only about 120 degrees while the ultimate glass transition temperature is only 120-140 degrees (F)! I know most of us don't really plan on rapid firing our rifles as much as envisioned originally but a handguard must get hotter than that...

So maybe I'll concur that wood glue is for wood.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

This stuff looks promising.

[Simon P]

I just use Evo-Stik PVA Wood Adhesive Water Proof Exterior Type.

Where possible I dowel the joint to give extra strength.

[Peter Laidler]

Re thread 21. If the first fixer had done it properly with the correct wood PVA as specified by Simon in thread 19 you wouldn't have to do it again in my limited experience as an Armourer who has repaired a couple of stocks in his time. Wood glue is designed and formulated to glue wood!

But a confession first....... I did have to re-do one - once. Not because the glue failed but because the wood patch was too low to get the finished contour. Couldn't knock it out no matter how hard I tried so I had to undercut it all and start again, pegs an' all! Wood glue is for wood

[WarPig1976]

Wood glue is designed and formulated to glue wood!

You can lead a horse to water......

[Bruce_in_Oz]

"You can lead a horse to water...........

But can you lead a horticulture?

[WarPig1976]

But can you lead a horticulture?

[Flying10uk]

Of the few stocks that I have, occasionally, had to glue one of the problems has been trying to remove the oil/grease from the wood before gluing. Is there a good way of removing the oil/grease from the area requiring gluing? I have seen a furniture restorer, on television, pour methylated spirit on a table top and then set fire to it which has drawn the oil/grease out of the wood but without damaging the surface in any way. I would be very reluctant to try this on a valuable gun stock and certainly wouldn't recommend any-one trying it. I have, however, tried this on some oily wood that wasn't of any great value and while it drew the oil out, the surface of the wood had taken on a somewhat cremated appearance, not at all how it was shown on T.V.. Obviously, if the wood is oily no glue is going to work well.